# Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli



## Ruby (Apr 20, 2020)

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are bywords for each other, but their films don't overlap perfectly.  I recently watched the first film he directed, _The Castle of Cagliostro_, which came out in 1979, before Studio Ghibli existed.  On the other hand, he isn't the only person to have directed Ghibli films either.  _Grave of the Fireflies_ was the work of Isao Takahata, for example.

Any way I've now seen every Miyazaki film, but not every Ghibli film, so the poll lists Miyazaki films only.  (There weren't enough slots for all the Ghibli films anyhow.  In fact, I've had to exclude _Cagliostro _as well, because there still wasn't enough room.)  But you can use this thread to discuss both Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.  My considered opinion is that _Spirited Away_ really is the best of them - the general public is right.

By the way, how do you pronounce Ghibli?


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## IndigoClaudia (Apr 20, 2020)

Ruby said:


> By the way, how do you pronounce Ghibli?


I've always pronounced it like Jib-lee


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## haneko (Apr 20, 2020)

Me and my friends pronounce it "Gibly", with a hard G, if that helps. I can't comment on how good the films are because I've never watched them. To be fair, I don't have much interest in watching them, either.


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## IndigoClaudia (Apr 20, 2020)

I've seen one or too and keep meaning to see more but...


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## Ruby (Apr 20, 2020)

One vote for Totoro and that's all, huh?  This is a sorry showing for a Pokemon forum, guys.   Half of Hoenn is Miyazaki pastiche.  

Make some time to watch _Spirited Away_ at least.  It's on Netflix right now (at least where I live).


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## haneko (Apr 20, 2020)

Ruby said:


> Half of Hoenn is Miyazaki pastiche.


Come on, explain this one for us non-Ghibli watchers. :P Was Hoenn directly inspired by Ghibli films and settings?


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## Ruby (Apr 20, 2020)

myuma said:


> Come on, explain this one for us non-Ghibli watchers. :P Was Hoenn directly inspired by Ghibli films and settings?


I have no _evidence _whatsoever. But it is well known that Miyazaki loves to place his characters in a very particular kind of idyllic landscape, and he has an affection for islands. To me many areas in Hoenn and in the other regions seem clearly influenced by an aesthetic that he either invented or popularized. Keep in mind that in Japan not only have many of his films been successful, but several actually topped the box office the year they were released.


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## I liek Squirtles (Apr 21, 2020)

The only Miyazaki movie I saw was Ponyo, which I associate with uv because for the longest time her avi was little gremlin Ponyo


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## mewtini (Apr 21, 2020)

I liek Squirtles said:


> The only Miyazaki movie I saw was Ponyo, which I associate with uv because for the longest time her avi was little gremlin Ponyo


oh my god. lol. i have the same association still + ponyo was my first miyazaki film


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## IndigoClaudia (Apr 21, 2020)

i watched half of my neighbor totoro and all of some other one that i can't remember the name of.

EDIT: i need to see more, any reccomendations?


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## Ruby (Apr 23, 2020)

IndigoEmmy said:


> i watched half of my neighbor totoro and all of some other one that i can't remember the name of.
> 
> EDIT: i need to see more, any reccomendations?


Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are probably the essential two.


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## IndigoClaudia (Apr 23, 2020)

oh i do REAALLY like the music from princess mononoke and almost watched it once but never did, i forget why...



Spoiler: My List



-Spirited Away
-Princess Mononoke


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## Ys_ (May 5, 2020)

Spirited Away is beautiful and the music is very pretty. That was the first Ghibli movie I watched. The second one was Howl's Moving Castle. It's nice too, but I always feel kind of empty at the end, like something is missing. I've watched Princess Mononoke twice but never got it. Though maybe I never watched it to the end.


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## Ruby (May 5, 2020)

Ysabel said:


> Spirited Away is beautiful and the music is very pretty. That was the first Ghibli movie I watched. The second one was Howl's Moving Castle. It's nice too, but I always feel kind of empty at the end, like something is missing. I've watched Princess Mononoke twice but never got it. Though maybe I never watched it to the end.


Howl's Moving Castle is imaginative and entertaining enough but there are issues with the plot.


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## Sandstone-Shadow (May 6, 2020)

Howl's Moving Castle is based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones! So if it helps to think of it as an adaptation haha. I feel like books-to-movies are always a little tricky. 

Spirited Away is by far my favorite - it's a classic for good reason. Nausicaa is my next favorite and I wish that more of the comics were made into movies cause I want to see more of the story :O


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## Ruby (May 6, 2020)

_Nausicaa _I've only ever watched once, and that was a while ago.  My recollection is that it was fun at first, but seemed to go on too long.   And the animation was a bit _too _1980s for me - very gloomy at points.  But as I say, this was a while ago.

I'd like to put in a good word for _Porco Rosso_ here, which hasn't been mentioned. The first half or so may be my favourite Miyazki. After that it falls apart a bit, sad to say.


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## Butterfree (May 8, 2020)

I've seen _Ponyo_, _Spirited Away_, _Princess Mononoke_, _My Neighbor Totoro_, and _Castle in the Sky_. My favorite of them is _Castle in the Sky_, followed by _Princess Mononoke_, then _Spirited Away_, then _My Neighbor Totoro_, then _Ponyo_?

I didn't like _Ponyo_ much at all; it was cute and pretty but the weird five-year-old love story just really lost me, and if I recall correctly the pacing felt off and Ponyo was really obnoxious in a way I just found irritating to watch. _Totoro_ was cute and it's been a while but I kind of felt like not much really happened. I didn't really get a lot out of _Spirited Away_ either - I'm kind of curious why it's so popularly considered the best?

_Princess Mononoke_ was really interesting and I loved that the humans weren't _evil_ in it - overall felt complex and nuanced in a good way. But _Castle in the Sky_ was the most personally appealing to me. Friends, stark aesthetics, actual plot, cute critters.


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## Zori (May 8, 2020)

Studio Ghibli was my childhood
I have seen all the movies above
Although I don't really remember the plot of The Wind Rises


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## Ys_ (May 13, 2020)

I personally consider Spirited Away as the best partly becauseI watched it while I was still a child (it may have to do with a child's sense of wonder, maybe?) but also, the music is really nice and soothing, and the story is also well thought and relateable. Basically being about a girl's journey through the unknown and her growth in her quest to save her parents. The images themselves are colorful and the character dynamic is very interesting. To me, it's one of those movies that doesn't spell out everything for you and is more about feelings than necessarily having something happen at every second (like modern movies seem to do).

And about Howl's Moving Castle, I agree with Ruby that there are problems with the plot, though the general idea and the movie itself are entertaining and nice. Also iirc there was a book, right? Maybe I'll try to find it online and see how it is.


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## Ruby (May 14, 2020)

Ysabel said:


> I personally consider Spirited Away as the best partly becauseI watched it while I was still a child (it may have to do with a child's sense of wonder, maybe?) but also, the music is really nice and soothing, and the story is also well thought and relateable. Basically being about a girl's journey through the unknown and her growth in her quest to save her parents. The images themselves are colorful and the character dynamic is very interesting. To me, it's one of those movies that doesn't spell out everything for you and is more about feelings than necessarily having something happen at every second (like modern movies seem to do).
> 
> And about Howl's Moving Castle, I agree with Ruby that there are problems with the plot, though the general idea and the movie itself are entertaining and nice. Also iirc there was a book, right? Maybe I'll try to find it online and see how it is.


It's based on the book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones.  I haven't read it, but apparently the film cuts a lot of material.  That may be why the plot of the film sometimes seems a bit awkward.


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## Murkrow (May 28, 2020)

People often say Studio Ghibli is a good introduction to anime, but I disagree. It's become a tradition now that every time I'm home at my parents' house, we watch another Miyazaki film. Every time my mum asks "Is this going to be as weird as the other ones?"

I've seen Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Spirted Away, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Not sure which my favourite is. Maybe Princess Mononoke?

I agree with others that the plot of Howl's Moving Castle is a bit off. It's okay until about half way in but then it kind of falls apart.

While I can't say I can see Hoenn being Miyazaki inspired, I can definitely tell that the world of LoZ: Breath of the Wild _is_.


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## Ruby (May 28, 2020)

Murkrow said:


> People often say Studio Ghibli is a good introduction to anime, but I disagree. It's become a tradition now that every time I'm home at my parents' house, we watch another Miyazaki film. Every time my mum asks "Is this going to be as weird as the other ones?"
> 
> I've seen Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Spirted Away, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Not sure which my favourite is. Maybe Princess Mononoke?
> 
> ...


I agree that Studio Ghibli films are very different from your typical anime series.


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## Murkrow (May 28, 2020)

I mean I agree with you there.

It's a very family friendly studio. Totoro is one of my go-to examples of a really good family film that isn't dumbed down or contain sneaky adult jokes, along with things like The Snowman or Wallace and Gromit. But what I meant was that anecdotal experience from my parents suggests that even these films are apparently too out there for non-anime-watchers to get into.


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## JHG (Mar 3, 2021)

Studio Ghibli rules forever!


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## haneko (Mar 7, 2021)

IndigoClaudia said:


> oh i do REAALLY like the music from princess mononoke and almost watched it once but never did, i forget why...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I watched the same two films! I’ve also seen The Cat Returns but that’s not on the poll.

Ghibli’s focus on being whimsical, family-friendly and somewhat old-fashioned (I think the word I’m looking for is quaint?) doesn’t really do it for me, but their works aimed at slightly older audiences - such as Princess Mononoke- I really like. The animation is also spectacular.


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## Sandstone-Shadow (Mar 7, 2021)

Jumping in here to say: I’ve had very little attention span for media lately (watching/playing like, 20 minutes of movies/games at a time) and the other day, I sat down and watched the entirety of Howl’s Moving Castle just like, all at once. Miyazaki movies just are so wholesome.


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## IndigoClaudia (Mar 7, 2021)

ミ☆ ᴍyᴜᴍᴀ said:


> IndigoClaudia said:
> 
> 
> > oh i do REAALLY like the music from princess mononoke and almost watched it once but never did, i forget why...
> ...


Oh, that list was only the studio ghibli movies i needed to get around to seeing.
i've still yet to see either one of those ;w;


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